TY - JOUR
T1 - VVV-WIT-04: an extragalactic variable source caught by the VVV Survey
AU - Saito, Roberto K.
AU - Minniti, Dante
AU - Ivanov, Valentin D.
AU - Masetti, Nicola
AU - Navarro, Maria Gabriela
AU - Fernandes, Roberto Cid
AU - Ruschel-Dutra, Daniel
AU - Smith, Leigh C.
AU - Lucas, Philip W.
AU - Gonzalez-Fernandez, Carlos
AU - Ramos, Rodrigo Contreras
N1 - 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
PY - 2019/9/20
Y1 - 2019/9/20
N2 - We report the discovery of VVV-WIT-04, a near-infrared (near-IR) variable source towards the Galactic disc located ∼0.2 arcsec apart from the position of the radio source PMN J1515−5559. The object was found serendipitously in the near-IR data of the ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV). Our analysis is based on variability, multicolour, and proper motion data from VVV and VVV eXtended surveys, complemented with archive data at longer wavelengths. We suggest that VVV-WIT-04 has an extragalactic origin as the near-IR counterpart of PMN J1515−5559. The K s-band light curve of VVV-WIT-04 is highly variable and consistent with that of an optically violent variable quasar. The variability in the near-IR can be interpreted as the redshifted optical variability. Residuals to the proper motion vary with the magnitude suggesting contamination by a blended source. Alternative scenarios, including a transient event such as a nova or supernova, or even a binary microlensing event, are not in agreement with the available data.
AB - We report the discovery of VVV-WIT-04, a near-infrared (near-IR) variable source towards the Galactic disc located ∼0.2 arcsec apart from the position of the radio source PMN J1515−5559. The object was found serendipitously in the near-IR data of the ESO public survey VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV). Our analysis is based on variability, multicolour, and proper motion data from VVV and VVV eXtended surveys, complemented with archive data at longer wavelengths. We suggest that VVV-WIT-04 has an extragalactic origin as the near-IR counterpart of PMN J1515−5559. The K s-band light curve of VVV-WIT-04 is highly variable and consistent with that of an optically violent variable quasar. The variability in the near-IR can be interpreted as the redshifted optical variability. Residuals to the proper motion vary with the magnitude suggesting contamination by a blended source. Alternative scenarios, including a transient event such as a nova or supernova, or even a binary microlensing event, are not in agreement with the available data.
KW - astro-ph.GA
KW - Surveys
KW - Infrared: stars
KW - Radio continuum: galaxies
KW - Radio continuum: general
KW - Stars: individual: VVV-WIT-04
KW - Catalogues
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075234215&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/mnras/stz2631
DO - 10.1093/mnras/stz2631
M3 - Article
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 490
SP - 1171
EP - 1178
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 1
ER -